


Regeneration

by orphan_account



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Post Regeneration, Pre-Regeneration, Regeneration, i dont think regeneration counts as death, no one actually dies i just wanted to tag it just in case
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-14
Updated: 2015-07-15
Packaged: 2018-04-09 08:42:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4341773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steven goes inside his gem to regenerate. They didn't even know he could, and they realize that he might not come back- Rose might regenerate instead. The gems don't know how to feel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

    The rose quartz gem, shining in the sunlight coming through the windows, was settled in a pale pink cushion. Greg kept looking anxiously at it, and Pearl sniffed every few minutes. Amethyst had cried for hours, and even Garnet had yelled at first. The three gems had solemnly warped home, and Garnet had taken on the task of letting Greg know. She was gonna put Steven’s phone down on his bed, but she’d remembered Connie. She’d arrived after 10 minutes, inconsolable. Her parents had dropped her off, offering condolences, and Pearl wasn’t in the mood to explain to them that he wasn’t dead, merely regenerating. Connie sat on the couch, staring at the floor. 

    She looked at the gem from the corner of her eye for the fifth time in 5 minutes, and decided to speak up. “When do you think he’ll come back?” 

    Pearl shifted uncomfortably. “Well…. the truth is, we don’t know if he’ll come back. At least,” she hurried to correct herself when she saw Connie’s face crumple- “we don’t know if he’ll come back the _same_.” She spoke up again. “He’s half gem, half human, we don’t know if the gem can even produce his organic body, we didn’t even know he _could_ go into his gem at all. Our bodies are projections, originating from our gems, but Steven grew around his gem, never from it.” 

    Garnet was going to add to it, but Greg tensed besides her. “What is it?” she asked. He didn’t seem to hear her, so she looked _forwards_ , the present moment becoming unfocused. When she saw the answer, she felt tears come to her eyes. 

    Pearl, her knees drawn to her chest, looked at them when she noticed how still they’d become. “Garnet? What’s wrong? What is it, did you see something? Greg?”

    Greg spoke up. “How do we know Steven’s gonna come back?”

    Pearl’s eyebrows wrinkled when she frowned. “What do you mea-“

    Garnet interrupted. “What if Rose regenerates instead?”

    Amethyst, sitting as a cat on the island, next to the gem, looked up in fear. None of them knew how to react, the quiet becoming an even thicker tension than before. A few minutes ago, they’d been sitting in silence, comforted only by the gleaming of the gem. A reminder that he would come back. And now even _that_ wasn’t guaranteed. 

    “I- I- I- I,” Pearl stuttered. A chill came over her, a chill she felt deep in her gem. “Rose…”

    Greg didn’t know how to react. Garnet took off her visor, all three of her eyes holding in unshed tears. 

    Amethyst was the first one to let out a howl of anger. “ _How am I_ ** _supposed_** _to feel! How am I supposed to live with the fact that_ **_Rose_** _might come_ ** _back_** , _after all this_ ** _time_** , _after all these years without her, and know that I feel happy even though_ ** _Steven_** _won’t_!” 

    Connie ran out of the house, and no one ran after her. Greg let out a trembling sigh, and got up, putting his hand on Garnet’s shoulder. She looked at him. “You stay with his gem. I’ll get her.” 

    “You sure?” Greg was caught off guard, but they both knew he was relieved. 

    Garnet nodded, and crossed the house to catch up with Connie before she got too far. Her third eye opened, and the empty beach was overlaid with possible futures. Garnet saw herself walking every which way, and after another 10 seconds, saw which path would lead her to Connie the quickest. Sighing, she made her way to the lighthouse. Connie wasn’t there yet, wouldn’t be there for another few minutes, but Garnet knew where she was and where she would be. Climbing the cliff, instead of walking around the hill, let her get there without Connie seeing her. 

    She decided to sit, instead of stand. Humans found people with smaller statures more approachable. Not out of malice, or conscious prejudice, but out of instinct. She let her mind drift forwards, making sure Connie was still on her way. The future was never set in stone, and Connie could make her own choices to derail the particular path Garnet had chosen to follow. A few minutes later, Connie came into view, and Garnet smiled. She took off her visor, and Connie sat next to her. 

    “Hello.” 

    Connie replied with a small ‘hey’, and played with the grass on the ground. Garnet feels the tension mount for a few moments, and Connie says delicately, “What if Rose Quartz comes back, and Steven doesn’t?” 

    Garnet doesn’t hesitate to answer. “We would all be happy to have Rose back. A decade without her doesn’t alleviate your grief when you measure your time with her in millennia. Rose Quartz wouldn’t be back for long though.” 

    Connie’s mouth falls open in a soft ‘o’. “But- But why?” 

    “Rose Quartz gave up her form to bring him into the world. She became half of him, and he exists only because she wanted him to. Not to diminish Greg’s part in all of this, but Rose knew what she was doing. She still does.” Connie’s eyebrows are still wrinkled in confusion, so Garnet continues. “What you need to understand is, Rose never _died_. Even while Steven was alive, she was alive in him. A gem’s gemstone is the core of their being, all of them, all of their existence. The only thing she gave up was her ability to influence the world as her own self. If she did come back, do you think she wouldn’t give anything to bring Steven back? And if she couldn’t, Steven managed to bring humans and gems closer together. Without him, I wouldn’t have cared for you as much as I do. I wouldn’t have cared at all, if we’re being honest.” 

    Connie smiles a little at that, because Garnet _cares_ for her. “Having Rose back would still be hard, though… I mean, even if she did find a way to bring Steven back, would you let her? Would Pearl? Amethyst? Would Greg?” 

    Garnet’s small smile fades, but her voice is sure. “Without a second thought. I miss Rose, I miss her with every fibre of my being, all the time. I’d miss Steven more, though. If all of me is made of love, Steven is made of three billion Garnets.” Connie looks up at her. She continues. “If Rose couldn’t bring Steven back, you’d still have a place with the Crystal Gems. Pearl would miss you, I’m sure, and Amethyst would miss having someone to eat with, and tease. The Crystal Gems defend humanity, but Steven’s helped us realize that humanity is just as capable of defending itself. More capable than Rose thought they were.” 

    Connie’s eyes are gleaming, and when she moves to hug Garnet, her arms are already open, her gemstones gleaming in the sun. “How long do you think Steven- or Rose, for that matter- take to regenerate?” she asks. Garnet sets her down, and stays quiet for a few moments. 

    “Steven would probably regenerate anywhere from today, or a week from now. He’s not the type to take that long. Even Pearl, who takes the longest to regenerate the three of us, only takes about 10 days. The longest was two weeks. Rose, however…. she’d take either a day, or a month.” 

    Connie doesn’t think she’s kidding. 


	2. Chapter 2

3 DAYS LATER

    Connie had explained to her parents that Steven didn’t _die_ , and although she couldn't come for the last two days, her parents let her come to the beach house on the third. Pearl welcomed her with a sad smile and a hug, and Connie knew then that the Rose Quartz gem hadn’t regenerated yet. She asked Pearl if, maybe, she’d want to run through a couple of more modern forms that Connie’s researched? Pearl’s eyes brightened at the offer, but she shook her head. 

    They got to talking, and shared anecdotes about Steven. Pearl was both horrified and proud at the story about Rose’s room, and the Cloud Connie. Pearl shared her own, and when she wanted to be really detailed, projected with her gem. “The first time Steven summoned his shield, all of us were surprised. We’d _obviously_ seen Rose’s shield before, but we didn’t know if his weapon would be different or not. We don’t know exactly how a gem’s weapon is… determined. Would it have been different because Steven has a different personality than Rose, or would it have been the same because it was her gem? Or is it the same because they’re similar in personality?” Pearl shook her head a little before blushing. “I felt myself started to ramble, _oh I get so off track_ , but the first time Steven summoned his shield, it was when he’d eaten a Cookie Cat, and all of us were standing around him. I pointed it out to him, and when he opened his eyes, the shield flew around the room and hit the TV so hard, it was embedded. It disappeared a little afterwards, though. When the Centipeetle came back, he used a bunch of extension cords to take this little mini-freezer full of Cookie Cats with him to fight the monster.” 

    Connie laughed. She’s smiling when she exclaims “he’d just summoned his shield! Maybe it could’ve worked!” 

    Pearl hummed in agreement, and then Lion came into the room, his fur glossy and his eyes… glowing. They go back to normal soon enough, and Pearl grumbled when Lion takes Steven’s gemstone from it’s cushion and places it on his bed, but she doesn’t move to stop him. 

    “That reminds me, did Steven ever tell you about how Lion took us to an armory that belonged to Rose?” Connie’s excited to tell her, but she didn’t miss Pearl’s look of discomfort. “What- Is it something I said?” 

   “Oh! Connie, no it’s just- See, Rose’s armory was a secret between me and her, and I took Steven because, well, he has her _gem_ , and I was so excited to reveal it to him, too.” Connie sympathized with Pearl, but she can’t help but laugh when Pearl goes on to say “that… _Lion_ beat me to it.”

    Amethyst came in, then, eating a donut. She'd had a note in her hand, on a flyer advertising 2 donuts for a dollar. She set it by the cushion, and panicked slightly when she saw the gem wasn’t on it. She turned to Connie, and saw Lion’s tail hanging from Steven’s bedroom. She tried to throw it, but… throwing a flat piece of paper usually doesn’t work. It floated to the floor, and she sets it next to the cushion in defeat. 

    “Amethyst… are you okay?” inquired Connie. 

    “Yeah, I’m just, bummed I guess. Steven usually comes with me to get a donut every Friday, but…” 

    Connie nods. She remembered the food packed in her bag, then, and offered it to Amethyst. She brought it in the hopes Steven regenerated and could share with her, but… Amethyst was so unlike herself, she didn’t think it would hurt. 

    “What is it?” asked Amethyst. 

    “It’s this porridge my mom makes, it’s got raisins and almonds in it! It’s a dessert, but technically it also qualifies as a snack or breakfast. It’s my favorite, and I brought extra in case Steven came back, but you look like you need it more.” 

    “What do you mean, I look like I need it? Do I look weird? I haven’t poofed in a while, and I barely changed!” Her tone was notably defensive, and Connie knew there was more to it, but didn't ask.

    “No, it’s an expression, Amethyst. Do you want it or not? It _is_ my favorite, and I’m _reeaaally_ tempted to eat all of it.” She wouldn’t, but Amethyst didn’t _know_ that. She made sure Amethyst actually _tasted_ the food, and didn’t just swallow it whole. 

    Even when Connie couldn’t drop by some days, she always made sure to call for at least a few minutes. She asked for general updates, and to make sure they were okay. The next 4 days were tense around the temple. It hit them just how weak they were without Steven. Rose had more control over her powers, and was a full gem, but Steven’s organic nature, and his humanity, had helped them in more ways than they’d realized. They didn’t think he was the type to take this long to regenerate, and the thought that maybe he still wasn’t, that the gem was taking so long was because Rose was regenerating, scared them. It also filled them with an odd sort of expectancy, and dread. 

    That Wednesday, 8 days after Steven _poofed_ , Connie walked up the steps to her front door in exhaustion. She'd had a biology final, and aced it, but all she wanted to do was nap. Forever. Or maybe for forever and a day.

    Until she saw Lion lazing on the landing in front of her door. When she approached, he stood up and nudged at her chest with his head. (It hit her how tall she was, then. Lion only came up to her shoulders, when just a few years ago, _she_ was at _Lion's_  shoulders). She went to unlock her door, and he nudged more insistently, and she felt that it was urgent. When he lowered his body, she hurriedly unlocked her front door, threw her tote at the couch, yelled something that sounded like “ _LionsHereGottaGoLoveYouI’llGrabSomethingToEatOnTheWayYesIHaveMyKeysBye!_ ” and jumped on Lion’s back. He roared, and she felt the salty air on her skin in less than a minute. 

    She ran up to the house, Lion at her heels.  The only person in the living room was Greg, who looked up from his magazine ( _I Love Cats Quarterly_ , she noted). He almost fell out of his chair, and she felt a pang of guilt for shocking him. 

    “Connie, what are you doing here? Steven hasn’t regenerated yet, not that I don’t enjoy your company, but-“ he stopped short when he heard her start to explain.

    “It’s fine Mr. Universe, I’m … I don’t really know why I’m here myself? Lion was at my house and it just seemed… urgent… I guess.” He nods, and goes back to the magazine. 

    Amethyst walked out of the temple then, looking at Connie in surprise. “Hey Con, what’s up? I didn’t know you were coming over today, it’s Wednesday, right? Isn’t Wednesday the day of your study group? I’m glad you finally ditched them, they sounded like nerds.” 

    Connie couldn’t even leap to her friend’s defense (they are nerds, but so is she! Amethyst’s teasing was undeserved), because at that moment, the gem (once again put on the island counter by Greg) floated up, glowing brightly. Greg shielded his eyes from the white light, and Amethyst and Connie looked on in fascination. 

    The pink gem floated in a ball of white light for several seconds, as if unsure about what to do. Before anyone could do, or say, anything, the pink gem sort of… zoomed in the air and the light formed an unrecognizable silhouette. Hair flowed out, and Connie’s heart sunk. Rose Quartz was materializing, and Greg had an indeterminable expression of his face. Horror, mixing with sadness, and longing. Connie had to look away from him, too. Her eyelids were pink from the white light, when she shut them. Amethyst’s gasp caused her to open them. The gem was shaking. 

    It traveled downwards, and the silhouette formed was one Connie recognized. She didn’t know how to feel, and she didn’t have time to figure it out, because the gem kept zigzagging up and down, the silhouettes morphing constantly, ever shifting, Rose Quartz’s gem being the only constant. Rose Quartz was eight feet tall, and her features were indistinguishable. Steven was a familiar 5 feet and 3 inches. The gem moved faster, and Connie’s eyes followed it with dedication. Rose Quartz’s hair flowed from Steven’s square silhouette, and then a dress flared out, before the gem plummeted again and Steven was normal height again. It rose, and the hair flared out again, and then it fell, and the form became stockier, more solid. Amethyst had a tear streaming down her face, and Greg was looking on in wonder. Connie was surprised to find that she had shed a few tears, too. She’d never seen a gem regenerate before, but she _knew_ this wasn’t how it normally went. 

    After a few seconds, the gem stopped shaking. Steven seemed to float weirdly between pure light and solidity, and Connie kept staring as he formed slowly. His bone showed darkly against the solid white light, and muscles seemed to wrap themselves around the bone while organs seemed to coalesce out of the air. It was then Connie decided to close her eyes. She was watching his entire body form before her eyes, and reasoned that _she’d_ want people to look away if the situation was reversed. A quick peek at Amethyst told her she was watching still. When she noticed the bright light against her eyelids fade away, she heard Amethyst gasp, and a moment later Greg let out a low whistle. Connie opened her eyes. 

    Steven stood a little taller than before his regeneration. Same stocky build, with subtle curves at his shirt showing where his belly was. His hair was… longer, tied back in a bun, a few baby hairs sticking up, pointing out of his head. He had a streak of grey hair that, she realized with a start, wasn’t _grey_ , but _pink_. He was wearing his normal clothes, though. The only difference concerning his outfit was that his flip flops were now proper sandals. 

    He seemed kind of pale, but even as she thought that, his skin was coloring all over as if blood was reintroduced to his veins suddenly. She realized that’s probably what was happening, too. Connie would’ve guessed that his skin changed color.“Uh. Hey guys.” 

    Whatever he was going to say was drowned out by Amethyst’s sobs and Greg’s exclamations of relief. She ran towards him and he spun her around, and pretty soon Greg circled his arms around them as well, and Amethyst stretched her arms to circle around all of them and lift them in the air at once, and she can’t breathe but it’s worth it, it’s _so_ worth it to have Steven here and safe and sound. If a little exhausted, but _here_.

    “Guys? I know you’re really glad to have me back, and I have a lot to tell you about the past few days, but-“ 

    “It’s been eight days,” Amethyst murmured, “and I was so scared. Don’t ever do that again. Ever.” 

    Steven started squirming a little. “Guys, I’m really tired, I wanna sleep for hours. Please?” 

    Amethyst set them on the ground, but ran immediately to the temple to alert Garnet and Pearl. He groaned, and Greg whispered “ _go to sleep, I’ll handle the gems_.” Connie hugged him, and rubbed his back, before letting him up the stairs. She heard a faint shuffling, and Lion’s tail drooped down from the bedroom floor a second later. Then snoring. 

    Sighing, Connie turned to the temple door to help Greg run interference.


End file.
